hmm the construction project manager
yep it's exactly how it sounds the
project manager is the person
in charge of a construction project and
is responsible for making sure the job
is delivered on time
and on budget simple right you have
plans you have specifications
the buildings practically build
themselves wrong
the project manager has to deal with
schedules budgets
contracts with subcontractors and
vendors communications between
stakeholders they have to make dozens of
decisions every day just to keep the job
moving along there is a reason why
project managers get paid the big bucks
guess what every project needs a manager
so here at build your path we're going
to dig a little deeper into the roles of
a project manager
and what's needed in order to become one
[Applause]
what's up guys it's chloe here at build
your path before we dive in let's give a
special shout out to our awesome sponsor
a general contracting and construction
management firm that builds some amazing
projects
we'll get to them in a bit because if
you want to pursue this path
you need to hear what they have to say
so stick around
every major construction project from
buildings to bridges
to stadiums to roadways has a project
manager sometimes referred to as
the pm the pm is just one half of an
integral construction team
the other is the superintendent the
superintendent role is the subject of
another video
but for now what you need to know is
that the superintendent handles getting
the project built
and the pm handles the vast majority of
the business side of the job buildings
are not just bricks and mortar there's a
lot of money
time legal regulatory and technical
issues that have to be addressed from
start to finish which means they need a
seasoned and savvy professional
to navigate the way through
from the time the construction company
is awarded a project either through a
competitive bid
or a negotiated contract the project
manager springs into action
typically the pm starts by getting
familiar with the project the plans the
owner the architects and the engineers
the project manager part banker part
designer
part lawyer part diplomat part boss
but all business
these days becoming a project manager
involves having a college degree
typically most construction companies
will hire candidates with bachelor's in
either construction management or civil
engineering those degrees are not
exclusive
and many companies will consider others
you just have to be really passionate
about building
people with an associate's degree and
on-the-job experience can also become
pms because again it's all about the
passion
nationally according to the department
of labor in 2018
the median salary for construction
managers is averaged at
93 370 dollars after training and
education
in some regions of the country
entry-level construction managers earn
75 000 to 85 000
with a full benefits package experienced
project managers can earn 150
000 or more per year
the department of labor also said that
the job market is expected to go
up 11 by 2026. some of the mega projects
have several layers of project managers
including junior and senior pms
as well as project executives
being a good communicator is probably
the most important skill for apm to have
you're going to be dealing with a
variety of positions from
corporate level ceos to brilliant
engineers that talk in technobabble
project management usually means a lot
of in-office work
there are tons of meetings phone calls
and lots of time behind a computer
if the thought of sitting in an office
all day makes you cringe
don't worry there's still plenty of time
spent on site at the entry level
positions you'll probably spend more
time at the job site than in an office
as your career advances however you will
spend more time
in the office than in the field there
isn't much physical building going on in
this career track
so if you're someone who enjoys working
with their hands or like to be outside
all day
other career tracks may be for you
and now some knowledge from our sponsor
being a project manager
sounds really intimidating but our
wonderful sponsor was nice enough to
give us some first
hand pm experience so you know what that
means
field trip
construction management is awesome uh
why because
every day you you learn
something there's always a challenge for
you to conquer
you can wake up on a tuesday and be
faced with a whole new different set of
challenges than
on thursday so if you like the
flexibility and the kind of change in
scenery and
kind of something new every day this
could be the field for you
the days always start early 6 30 7
o'clock in the morning
and you always start with a huddle with
your subcontractors to kind of see
what their goal is for the day what
their plan is for today
typically in the morning is when you get
all of their issues and things are
trying to work
out so you may be able to resolve those
issues with them in the field
or you may have to take those issues
back to the design team
or to your team to help figure it out
what we do on a day-to-day basis is
essentially getting
other people to do what we need them to
do
when we need them to do it when they're
not necessarily interested in doing it
so in construction management you have a
design team
you have the construction team we have
the trade partners or the subcontractors
that specialize in their own scope
and all those individuals have to come
together to make the project happen
and it really takes teamwork so i
appreciate and i enjoy the problem
solving
and the collaboration it's also a
very rewarding and satisfying
career because you get to
touch something tangible a lot of young
people
are really anxious together get their
feet dirty internships are the way to go
because you have a chance to get your
feet dirty
really get in the grind and understand
if this is really what you want to do
and have an impact too because we give
interns real work the typical pathway to
getting in the
construction management is really one of
two ways right you can come up through
the trades
and develop a skill set and stay
in the field if you will you know the
superintendent route
or you can also stay in the office
through the project engineer up through
the
project management route and that is
typically more often than not
achieved by attaining your four-year
degree
whether you want to build homes whether
you want to be in the commercial
aspect and and build apartments or
office buildings or health care projects
or going to advanced tech the
opportunity is there
so you can always move from one respect
to another
and keep learning and growing so if
their passion is about building
is about solving complex problems and
challenges
and always have a changing environment
if you have a strong work ethic and
you're willing to put in the time
and dedication it's a highly rewarding
field that pays well
and the world's not going to stop
changing and we're always looking for
ways to
to be innovative and to
build better as your body of knowledge
grows you'll get to take on larger and
more complex projects the path beyond
project management usually leads to
executive management roles within the
company
where you could be working on talent
recruitment business development and
strategic partnerships
you can even earn an ownership stake in
a company or potentially start your own
we're not going to stop building and if
every construction project needs a
manager
what are you waiting for construction
project managers
highly talented skilled smart at
business
and good communicators that make sure
our built environment gets constructed
on time and on budget all without their
heads exploding
most days anyway check out
buildyourpath.org for more info
or go to the interwebs to find a degree
program near you
thanks for watching this installment of
build your path
stay tuned as we are doing new career
highlight videos
until next time
[Music]
you